A Dumfries man has blasted two community wardens who fined him for “phantom dog mess”.

The council staff claimed Graham Hollinger had allowed his pet to foul near to Camera Obscura in Dumfries – despite there being no evidence of dog dirt.

And the graphic designer was so angry at the claims that the he refused to pay the £40 penalty and went to court.

It took Sheriff Brian Mohan less than a minute to throw the case out on Thursday after he found there were no grounds for prosecution.

Mr Hollinger, 25, said he was delighted that “justice had prevailed”.

He added: “I fought this to the end and won.

“I was walking my collie kelpie cross Terry on January 27 when these two jobsworths approached me.

“They claimed I failed to pick up a poo but Terry hadn’t done one. He was just squatting as dogs sometimes do.

“I asked them where the phantom poo was. They were some kind of double act like Laurel and Hardy. Neither of them could point out where it was and the main jobsworth became flustered, started sweating and then when I said I would have to ask them to revoke the notice he agreed.”

But just three hours later, a fixed penalty notice dropped through Mr Hollinger’s door at Primrose Street.

Furious, he phoned the officer and left a voice message asking why he’d been fined.

He added: “I received a reply the next day saying he presumed Terry had done the deed as he was squatting.

“He told me I could appeal but the council would take it to court. I hoped that after I appealed and explained, that would be the end of it but they went ahead.”

Mr Hollinger then spent hundreds of pounds hiring a solicitor to defend him in court.

“It wasn’t about the money,” he added: “It was the injustice. I felt vilified by this.

“The council need to give their staff better training.”

A council spokesperson said it would be inappropriate to comment on an individual court case.